August 2015

In Africa people do have jobs: they are simply too poor not to work. Instead, the problem is underemployment; typically 90% (or more) of the labor force is in the informal sector such as subsistence agriculture and urban self-employment in petty services. African labor markets remain marked by large disparities in incomes between a small number of formal public and private employees, and the vast informal sector. These informal sector workers have no job security, minimal benefits, very low pay, and often face hazardous working conditions. So the challenge is to create better jobs, as well as more jobs.

In 2014, 201 million people were unemployed globally. This year, the ILO expects that figure to rise by 3 million. Young people are most affected: there are 74 million people between 15 and 24 who were seeking work in 2014.

Susan Ogwengo lives in Kibera, in Nairobi, Kenya. Two years ago she started up a children’s day care centre which has grown into a successful business, employing others and enabling parents to go to work safe in the knowledge that their children were well looked after.